For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6-7

Next term I am looking at putting up, (God willing and hopefully with many of your help) either a full scale or half scale Nativity scene. We are going to situate it inside the Conservancy shelter just at the top of the driveway during the last couple of weeks before the end of next term. If anyone is interested in helping please contact me on this email address –
measson@thomasmore.co.za. As we need to either buy or construct the figures, hay bales etc.

Just thinking about this project I realised how quickly this year has gone by, it is 120 days until Christmas (from the 27th August), two thirds of the year has gone by! In our busyness I pray that we do not neglect about giving thanks, praise and spending time in prayer with our loving God. Who, as Paul writes in Philippians 2:6-11 “Have this mind in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: who, existing in the form of God, counted not the being on an equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men; and being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, becoming obedient
even unto death, yes, the death of the cross. Wherefore also God highly exalted Him, and gave unto Him the name which is above every name; that in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of
things in heaven and things on earth and things under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father”

Thomas More College pupils are extremely fortunate to have magnificent campus facilities. Particularly at Primary School level it is most unusual to have an Astro, 2 heated pools, a Music School and so many other things all at once. As a result we are asked to host more than our fair share of fixtures. This can be at some inconvenience to our own parent body, particularly regarding increased traffic on fixture days. We are currently hosting the Junior Primary hockey fixtures on Thursday and Friday afternoons, with up to 9 schools present on any day. For many children this is their only opportunity to play on an Astro. This will continue for the next 3 weeks. We apologize for the delays that this is causing at pick up time. We have arranged for them to park on Savory Field, but there is nevertheless a lot more traffic than we are used to.

Is spite of yellow lines and a large "Keep Clear" sign painted on the road, we have been unable to stop cars from parking behind the combis in the great House car park. This has resulted in us getting to fixtures late on a number of occasions. We have decided to move the combis to the Music School area. Signage and road marking is still to be completed, but may I ask all those who use the
Music School or the pool, not to park in the new bays.

The Grade trips went off very well and I extend my sincere thanks to pupils and staff.

I share a letter with you this week written by Jane Hofmeyr, former CEO of the Independent Schools of South Africa:

Dear All,

I write this to you to pay homage to the greatest man that our country has produced and as someone said at the news of his passing away: “He was our mother, our father, our everything.” He is also one of the most beloved statesman in the world. We are all far poorer for his passing but his legacy will never be forgotten.

What an inspiration he was to all of us as an example of sacrifice, forgiveness and reconciliation which set the moral tone for our early democracy.

If there are dreams about a beautiful South Africa, there are also roads that lead to their goal. Two of these roads could be named Goodness and Forgiveness.

I have always treasured his words on education that are inspiring for our work in schools:

Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.

A good head and a good heart are always a formidable combination.

We honour his life and bid him farewell with heavy hearts. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and close friends.

Well done to all our musicians who took part in our cultural assembly last Thursday. It was inspiring to see such superb performances from the choirs, marimba groups and individual soloists in various musical instruments doing so well! A special thank you to Mrs Ronald, who has helped us out with the junior choir, assisting Ms Coleman while Mrs Mordecai-Jones has been on accouchement leave. Also a HUGE thank you to Mrs Chiles for doing the locum for Mrs Mordecai-Jones and for continuing to do a great job in all aspects. Mrs Mordecai-Jones returns to us on Tuesday 1 September, so while we welcome her back, we also are much indebted to both ladies aforementioned.

It has also been very gratifying to have had Junior Primary classes and various Senior Primary drama groups enter into the Trinity College exams this past week. Thank you to all teachers involved in preparing the children for this worthwhile experience. We are delighted at this new cultural initiative! Well done to the performers- the results have been terrific!

Still on the cultural front, our senior choir did very well in their mass choir performance in “Festival in the Hills” on Saturday. I thoroughly enjoyed it and was very proud of them all! Thank you to Mrs Ramasamy and Mrs Chiles for all the effort that has gone into rehearsals and preparing our pupils for this, and to parents for transporting their children to and from practices, and for supporting them.

Our Foundation Phase has also been very busy culturally, not only with the
Trinity exams, but also in rehearsing for the grandparents’ morning, which
happens Wednesday 2 September in the Habberton Hall. (Unfortunately parents,
this is for the grandparents only- you will be able to see most of the items at
the cultural evening!) I am certainly looking forward to the cultural evening on Wednesday at 18:00, which will showcase our younger children’s cultural talents and performances.

Please do remember our Primary School civvies day tomorrow to celebrate Spring Day. The cost is R8, to be debited to your accounts should your child choose to wear civvies. The proceeds will be part of our animal outreach, and will support our local SPCA and the sterling work they are doing.

I came across these “Great truths about growing old” and thought you could share them with that special “Young atheart” in your life.

1) Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional.2) Forget the health food. I need all the preservatives I can get.
3) You're getting old when you get the same sensation from a rocking chair that you once got from a roller coaster.4) It's frustrating when you know all the answers but nobody bothers to ask you the questions.
5) Time may be a great healer, but it's a lousy beautician.6) Wisdom comes with age, but sometimes age comes alone.

Jemma Ramlakan - for always giving of her best and presenting such
neat work.

4dP

Torin Wright - for tyring so hard in all his subjects and for
improved task completion.

4M

Keagan Brand - for a
more positive approach towards his school day and an improved effort
in his task completion.

4F

Lou Lou Krumhoff -
for her cheerful spirit and for her willingness to give of her best.

5vL

Cade Gamble - for his
good manners and for trying hard to complete tasks he missed during
his absence.

5P

Conall Steenkamp -
for improved organisation and producing work of a high standard.

5L

Paul Gouws - for his
caring nature and being a good friend.

6B

Calhan Rhind - for
his positive attitude towards all he does.

6M

Emma
Beyers - for all her hard work, continuous effort and positive
attitude.

6H

Liam Gibson - for his
continued effort and gentle nature in class.

7M

Jess Dorning - for her delightful, friendly manner and her
consideration for others.

7C

Dale Harper - for her
consistent hard work and positive attitude towards her school work.

7S

Erin Thompson - for
her kind and caring nature and for working diligently.

An email received from Mr & Mrs von Bardeleben (past TMC parents)

Dear Allan and staff of Thomas More

It gives me great pleasure to advise you that Emma von Bardeleben was voted College Leader (head girl) of Mercedes College in Adelaidetoday. We are extremely proud of her achievements but wanted to thank you for preparing her and giving her the confidence to stand for this position. Her time at TMC has certainly made an indelible mark on her life and has allowed her to grow into a mature and loving young adult we see today. She will make you proud too.

Congratulations to Hannah Patterson who achieved 85%
with distinction for her Grade 5 Cecchetti Ballet exam. This has made her
eligible to dance for the Mabel Ryan award in September as well as qualifying
her to dance in the KZN Gala Performance on 31 October. Well done Hannah.

Congratulations to Jaime Butler who received a
distinction in her recent classical ballet exam, and to Isabella Fuini who
received a merit in her recent ballet exam.

Congratulations to Tayne Olivier who has been selected
to represent KZN U15 team at the 2015 Interprovincial Tournament in JHB.

SP Girls' Hockey vs Westville

U10 B lost 0-8

U10 A lost 0-2

U11 B won 1-0

U11 A lost 1-2

3rd XI won 1-0

2nd XI won 1-0

1st XI won 2-0

SP Boys' Hockey vs Westville

U10 C won 2-0

U10 B drew 3-3

U10 A lost 1-5

U11 B lost 0-2

U11 A lost 1-3

3rd XI lost 0-1

2nd XI drew 0-0

1st XI lost 0-2

Judo

Congratulations to Hanna Alexander (Grade 7) who took
part in the SA Judo National Ranking Event in JHB over the weekend. Hanna
was awarded a gold in Group 3 (U15) and a silver in Group 4 (U18). Hanna competed above her age group and has still done exceptionally
well. Well done Hanna.

Karate

Hugo Renard participated in the Karate World Championships. He achieved a Gold medal in Kata and a Silver medal in Kumite. This was an opportunity of a lifetime for him, and he did us all proud. Well done Hugo.

Equestrian

Congratulations to Tyler Jelf who competed in the High
School SANESA 70cm eventing show this weekend at Ulwazi, a Farm in Hilton. Tyler placed 1st, winning the class on her pony Mamma Mia. Well done Tyler.

Congratulations to Tom Gourley for winning the 70cm
Wenton Grey Derby Championship on Sunday. Tom has also been selected for
the KZN schools B team for show jumping and A team for working hunter to compete
at Nationals in Pretoria.

Cross Country

Congratulations to Brad Ballack for making it into the
Districts Cross Country team. Well done Brad.

Grade 2 Hockey Tournament

Boys

TMC 1 vs Kloof won 5-0

TMC 1 vs Highbury won 2-0

TMC 2 vs Atholl Heights won 2-0

TMC 2 vs Highbury 2 drew 1-1

TMC 3 vs Curro HCA lost 0-7

TMC 3 vs Waldorf won 3-2

Girls

TMC 1 vs Kloof drew 1-1

TMC 1 vs Curro HCA won 2-0

TMC 1 vs Hillcrest won 3-2

TMC 2 vs St. Mary’s won 2-0

TMC 2 vs Hillcrest won 4-0

TMC 2 vs Kloof won 5-0

TMC 3 Hillcrest won 2-0

TMC 3 vs Curro HCA won 6-0

TMC 3 vs Forest View won 2-0

Grade 3 Hockey Tournament

Boys

TMC 1 vs Hillcrest won 2-0

TMC 1 vs Curro HCA won 2-0

TMC 2 vs Noethdene won 1-0

TMC 2 vs Curro HCA won 1-0

TMC 3 vs Hillcrest lost 0-1

TMC 3 vs Northdene lost 0-3

Girls

TMC 1 vs Hillcrest drew 1-1

TMC 1 vs Curro HCA won 1-0

TMC 2 vs Northdene won 2-0

TMC 2 vs Curro HCA won 1-0

TMC 3 vs Hillcrest lost 0-4

TMC 3 vs Northdene won 2-1

SP Soccer vs Atholl Heights

U10A 2- 2 draw

U10B 0-1 lost

U11A 2-5 lost

U11B 1-1 draw

2nd 2-3 lost

1st 1-3 lost

SP Soccer vs Kloof

U10A won 5-1

U10B lost 3-2

SP Boys' Soccer vs Westville

U10A 0-8 lost

U10B 0-7 lost

U11A 0-5 lost

U11B 0-5 lost

5th 0-1 (7ths) lost

4th 3-2 (6ths) won

3rd 1-1 draw

2nd 1-3 lost

1st 3-1 won

SP Girls' Netball

A team vs Kloof 6 -0 - won

B team vs Kloof 2-1 - won

Gymnastics

Congratulations to Demi-Lee Penny who competed in a
gymnastics competition in Pinetown and received a medal.

Running

Congratulations to Gabriella Buchholz who received a
medal for successfully completing the Roseway Ramble 10km race. Well done
Gabriella.

Indoor Cricket

Congratulations to Brayden Doran on his Indoor Cricket
achievements. He was named KZN U10 player of the year as well as U10 Best
Batsman for the KZN invitation side. Well done Brayden.

All of these calendars start out with basic information and then details are added as we find them out. E.g. at the start of a term, a subject test will be booked for a later date. As the time draws closer, the teacher is able to determine more fully what syllabus the class has managed to cover thus far, and will fill in details of what will be in the test at that stage.

It is important to note that this information is “live” and needs to be checked regularly. We have links to the different calendars available inside our website, found under the different Phase sections. We also have links to the same calendars inside the Parent Portal. The calendars that apply can be found under each of your child’s subheadings.

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The Horse’s Mouth Newsletter has all calendar links available to be able to easily find whichever calendars you need to.

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How to use the Google Calendar:

After you have clicked on the relevant calendar link, it will show you the default monthly view of the calendar:

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There are navigation buttons at the top left to change dates easily to look back or to future events:

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You are able to change the view of the calendar using the buttons at the top right to show only a week at a time, the default monthly view, or if you click on “Agenda” then you will see a list of events scheduled:

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Please note – it is not a good idea to print the calendar out, as the information might get updated and you will not realize this if you are referring to a print out of a calendar at a certain point in time.

To see more details about a heading in the calendar, you need to click on that heading – it will pop-up a small window giving you what details have been filled in already. This is where we have information such as which teams are playing and times, and also what material will be covered in a test/examination:

It is important to note here that it is also not a good idea to click on the bottom option “Copy to my calendar” here, for the same reason as printing, you will not receive updated information if anything changes in the live calendar.